Track Listing

1. The Lover's Waltz - Jay Ungar, Mason, Molly
2. The Misty Dawn Medley: Misty Molly/Foxy Mary/My Darling Asleep - Jay Ungar, Ungar, Jay
3. The Mountain House - Jay Ungar, Ungar, Jay
4. The Contradance: The Road We Traveled/The Wizard's Walk - Jay Ungar, Ungar, Jay
5. Legends of the Fall - Jay Ungar, Horner
6. The Lover's Lament - Jay Ungar, Traditional
7. Prairie Love Song - Jay Ungar, Mason, Molly
8. Louisianna Wedding Bells - Jay Ungar, Mason, Molly
9. The Montague Processional - Jay Ungar, Kaynor, David
10. Give Me Your Hand - Jay Ungar, O'Cathain, Rory Dal
11. There's Honey on the Moon Tonight - Jay Ungar, Coots, J. Fred
12. Metsakukkia - Jay Ungar, Traditional
13. Chosen Challe Mazeltov - Jay Ungar, Traditional
14. Tiptoe Alley - Jay Ungar, Ungar, Jay
15. It's All in Your Mind - Jay Ungar, LaVere, Charlie
16. The Lover's Waltz - Jay Ungar, Mason, Molly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16726 in Music
• Released on: 1997-01-28
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
There are faster and flashier fiddlers than Jay Ungar, but he is almost without peer as a composer of fiddle tunes. Blessed with that rare knack for making his melodies move in ways that stir the listener's longings, he is best known for penning and performing "Ashokan Farewell," the evocative theme from "The Civil War" TV series. Ungar's 1997 album with his wife Molly Mason, The Lover's Waltz, takes its name from another striking fiddle theme, a slow-moving melody that seems to trace the rise of romantic desire and its satisfaction in each 32-bar section.

Mason accompanies her husband on piano, guitar, and bass, and she sings on four of the album's 16 tracks in an ingratiating alto. For the most part, though, the lead voice is Ungar's violin, which seems to sing in a note-bending, heart-tugging tenor. His melodies can be elegiac ("The Mountain House"), picturesque ("Prairie Love Song"), or spirited ("Tiptoe Alley"), but they are always memorable. The duo is joined by Balfa Toujours for a lively Cajun song, by John Sebastian for a cowboy tune, and by Swingology for several jazz and klezmer tunes. The liner notes try to give the compositions the narrative shape of a badly-written romance novel, but these tunes don't need any help. They can enchant the listener with the sheer power of melody. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

A Must-Have
There are times when one wants to listen to something and nothing modern will do. Times when you need something easy on the ears and just plain old-fashioned lovely. This is definitely such an album, and I believe Jay Ungar's finest. Molly Mason and Mr. Ungar balance each other beautifully in this musical pas de deux, and the result is an extremely romantic (in the best sense of the word), light and delightful collection of tunes that provide enough variety in style to keep from being monotonous. "There's Honey On The Moon Tonight" is a very fine version of an old Fats Waller swing tune, and while there aren't many vocals on this album, the vocals they have are well done and you'll find yourself singing along with this one for sure. Excellent liner notes and a little story included by Jennifer Ditsler explaining the feeling and storys behind each tune make this cd an excellent gift, especially a wedding or anniversary gift, and a must-have for any music collector.

Jay Ungar & Molly Mason's "Lover's Waltz" Album
I had the privilage of playing on stage with Jay and Molly for one short tune and it was one of the highlights of my life. This album called, "The Lover's Waltz" is now the best in my collection. Very professionally and tastefully done. I don't know how two people can have such a wide scope of music types on one album. They are very personable people and it's easy to see their love for each other as they perform.

the lover's waltz
I have several of Jay Ungar's cds and this one is one of the best. Beautiful music and great talent